Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 29 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 January 2004. It was answered by Ivor Caplin (Labour) on Thursday, 8 January 2004 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reservists lost their civilian jobs as a result of serving in the armed forces, in each of the last five years; how many filed claims for compensation; what the average time taken to settle each case was; how much was received by each of the claimants, net of legal expenses; and if he will make a statement. - Including figures.

Answer: Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists lost their civilian jobs as a result of serving in the armed forces, in each of the last five years; how many filed claims for compensation; what the average time taken to settle each case was; how much was received by each of the claimants, net of legal expenses; and if he will make a statement. [146178] Mr. Caplin: There is no requirement for reservists to provide the information requested to the Ministry of Defence. There is, therefore, no comprehensive record of the numbers of reservists who may have lost their civilian jobs as a result of service in the armed forces. However, protection is provided by reinstatement under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. Over 8,600 reservists were called-out to support Operation TELIC and we are aware of only 11 individuals who needed to bring a case under the 1985 Act. This continues to show the high level of support from both reservists and employers which the Government is pleased to acknowledge.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 146178; 416 c454W
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Compensation Applications Employment Finance Dismissal Reserve forces Termination of employment
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk